Thursday Evening Business Brief

Stocks declined today, interrupting the recent winning streak for the blue chips. The Dow fell nearly 75 points, or 0.6 percent, to 13,171. The S&P was down 9 points, while the Nasdaq slipped 22 points.

The White House says President Barack Obama is meeting with House Speaker John Boehner this evening at the White House amid negotiations on the "fiscal cliff." The meeting comes with Boehner accusing Obama of dragging out negotiations on any agreement to avoid a series of wide-ranging tax increases and spending.

A new report today suggests consumers were spending last month largely undaunted by the damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. The Commerce Department says retail sales were up 0.3 percent, reversing a decline in October.

This Christmas travel season could be the busiest in six years. AAA predicts that 93 million Americans will hit the road. That is up 1.6 percent from last year and just shy of the record level of travel in 2006.

American Airlines pilots say their CEO is making his case for remaining an independent company, but the union wants a merger with US Airways. The union says its board will meet with US Airways' top two executives next week. CEO Thomas Horton met for three hours today with directors of the Allied Pilots Association.